What was new in ACP?

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This page describes recent enhancements to Analytica Cloud Player (ACP Version 1). Most, but not all these have been implemented in the most recent release, ACP3

ADE MaxMemoryLimit for ACP

New to release ACP 3.0.0.35: Maximum memory limits for different account types: 2 GB for individual, 4 GB for Group, and 8 GB for group premium.

Stop Computing

While ACP is computing (waiting for a result), if it takes more than 3 seconds, it shows a dialog saying "Computing..." with a "Stop" button. Clicking Stop will stop computation. While this is running, all buttons, including tabs, are disabled -

Showwindow()

"New to release ACP3.0.0.35." Added functionality for showing diagram windows using the new ShowWindow() function. Note: Other windowType parameter options have yet to be implemented as of 3.0.0.35.

Text node Titles

"New to release ACP3.0.0.35." Functionality to display the title in text nodes, if the model is created In Analytica 5.0 or later. Text nodes with title.

Node Visibility

"New to release ACP3.0.0.35." Added support for the ChangeNodeVisibility feature. (new to Desktop Analytica 5.0)

Show same Table/Graph pivot as last viewed in Desktop Analytica (DTA)

"New to release ACP3.0.0.28." Added functionality for detecting the axis' pivot saved in DTA for Edit Tables, Result Tables, and Result Graphs. Tables and graphs now display initially in ACP the same as last viewed in DTA.

Truncate large tables

New to release ACP3.0.0.30. Because large tables take a long time to load in ACP, large tables will be truncated. If the number of rows is larger than the number of columns than the number of rows will be truncated and vice versa.

Current limits are:
Result tables 20K cells
Edit tables 10K cells

Models which use Excel Spreadsheets

SpreadsheetOpen()

• Models which use data from Excel spreadsheets can be uploaded and played in ACP.
• New to release ACP3.0.0.16: - Reviewers in a Group account may upload spreadsheets.
• New to release ACP3.0.0.17: - Reviewers in a group account may download spreadsheets if they 'own' the spreadsheet - that is if they uploaded it.

• The File name parameter in SpreadsheetOpen needs to be that of an Excel worksheet that has been uploaded to your ACP model listing.

• New to release ACP3.0.0.7: - Ability to upload a spreadsheet file while the model is playing.

• New to release ACP3.0.0.30':' - When evaluating a variable which calls a spreadsheet, with the show dialog: true parameter, the message has been changed.

Previous: Message box says, "Do you want to upload a spreadsheet contain 'variable_id'?

New Message: Message box says, “Do you want to upload a spreadsheet file?"More on this...

CSV files

New to relase ACP3.0.0.3: CSV files are now supported by ACP.

• You need to have the Flat File library in your model to access the functions to read/write/parse these files.
• To access csv file data in ACP you upload the CSV file as detailed above for a spreadsheet file.

New functionality requiring Asynchronous calls

Most are still in testing More...

• New to release ACP3-0-0-29 Implemented Asynchronous polling when using an OnClick attribute to save a model. When the Onclick calls functions after the Save, this speeds up the rest of the Onclick.< br/>

• Analytica functions that generate user dialog boxes are possible now in ACP with the upgrade to Analytica Decision Engine 4.6.
• New to release ACP3.0.0.10: Async calls have been implemented as the default in ACP. This means callbacks like MsgBox and ShowProgressBar bar work by default. The use_asynch_calls: yes Acp Style is no longer necessary and has no effect.

Uploading Spreadsheets while playing a model

New to release ACP3.0.0.7: More here

ReadTextFile

New to release ACP3.0.0.10: Basically works the same as Spreadsheet open while playing a model.

More here

ShowProgressBar()

"New to ACP3.0.0.30 The ShowProgressBar functionality was enhanced so that behaves as in desktop Analytica (DTA). Specifically, in this build, when the 'p' parameter is greater than 1, the dialog disappears in ACP as in DTA.

MsgBox()

New to ACP3.0.0.8: This works as in Desktop Analytica except no icon is displayed MsgBox.

AskMsgText()

New to ACP3.0.0.24: The MaxText parameter was implemented, making AskMsgText fully functional in ACP.

New to ACP3.0.0.26: An enhancement to ACP's AskMsgText() functionality, The dialog adds extra lines if necessary up to 30 lines.

Input/output node Button style

New to ACP5.1.1.44:" The button style feature has been implemented in ACP. Style is set in the Diagram style dialog in Desktop Analytica.

AcpStyles

ACP styles library has been updated since the 5.1 distributed version. Download the latest library version here: media:ACP style library.ana

More information here: AcpStyles

Show_table_graph_toggle:no

New to build 3.0.0.15

• Turns off the table / graph toggle button.

Can be used as a model level flag, or (new to build 3.0.0.18) as a flag for individual variables. When used as a flag for individual nodes, it trumps the global flag, if present.

ShowIONodeButtonText: no

New to build 3.0.0.12
AcpStyles flag for not showing the text on input / output node buttons.

• The flag is: ShowIONodeButtonText: no
• This flag has been added to the node styles dialog of the most recent media:ACP style library.ana

Tall Output Nodes

New to ACP3.0.0.4:

AcpStyles are now supported in 'Tall' Output Nodes to show embedded result graphs or tables on the diagram.

Flags for controlling the Tab color=

New to 3.0.0.20: When using Tabbed Navigation, you can use these flags to control how the color of the tabs display on your model in ACP. To use, add one of them to the AcpStyles attribute of the top level diagram of your model. They have no effect if added to a module other than the top diagram.

• Tab_color: Default The default. Non-selected tabs are all blue white. Selected tab matches the background color.
• Tab_color: Background All tabs selected or not match the diagram background color
• Tab_color: Node Selected Tab matches the diagram background color; Non-selected tabs match the color of the Module node.

• all_tabs_diagram_color: yes This flag has been deprecated and may not work in future ACP releases. Replaced by Tab_color: Background .

Show 2 tiers of tabs

New to 3.0.0.30: more...

• Currently these must be used with the show_as_tab:no style set.

• navigation_style:Two_top_tabs Replaces the 2 style combination of navigation_style:top_tabs, two_tiers_tabs:yes

• navigation_style:Two_side_tabs Replaces the 2 style combination of navigation_style:side_tabs, two_tiers_tabs:yes

screen_width: 999 and screen_height: 999

New to 3.0.0.1: AcpStyles flag to optionally set the ACP 3 canvas size; 999 is the number of pixels to use for the ACP Canvas.

See more...

Add_scroll_bars: yes

New to 5.1: AcpStyles flag to add scroll bars on the ACP diagram. Note that this is the opposite of the previous default which was to show scroll bars unless you added the style add_Scroll_bars:no More...

message_box_location: x, y

New to 3.0.0.4: By Default, ACP 3 shows error and other message boxes right in middle of the screen. You can change this using this AcpStyles in the top level diagram of your model. More...

Download_Spreadsheet: xyz.xlsx

(Downloading Spreadsheets from a Button)

New to ACP3.0.0.6: If an Excel worksheet is present in your ACP model listing, you can download it while playing your model. Just set this flag in the AcpStyles attribute of a button.More...

Upload_Spreadsheet:

{Uploading spreadsheets from a button}

New to ACP3.0.0.42: If you have spreadsheet_upload, in the AcpStyles of a button, you are prompted with a file upload after the button onclick completes. More...

Upload_filename_variable: Var_x:

{Uploading spreadsheets from a button}

New to ACP5.1.1.44:

When you upload a file using a button with cps "upload_spreadsheet" setting, In the button CPS attribute if you have the following:

upload_spreadsheet
Upload_filename_variable: Var_x

After uploading the file, ACP will write the filename (e.g. "ssFile.xlsx" note current does not include full path) to the definition of Var_x

Save_on_click:yes

New to ACP 3.0.0.24: This flag can be added to the AcpStylesattribute of a button. Then it works as a "save as" button. Ie the save dialog opens when the button is pressed.

"ACP save as filename" variable

New to ACP3.0.0.24: Can be used to create a custom default model name in the save as dialog. Used in combination with the save_on_click:yes flag.

• In Desktop Analytica, add a variable to your model with the identifier acp_save_as_filename

Here is an example model using the save_on_click:yes flag and acp_save_as_filename variable.

Asynchronous calls

use_async_calls: no This flag needs to be set in the top diagram of your model if you don't want to use asynchronous calls. This may slightly speed up model playing for some models {of course, you don't want to add this flag if you have features in your model which require asynchronous polling}

Meta Modeling

Dynamic tab visibility

New to ACP 5:1

Show and hide tabs based on user inputs.

Here is an example. Dynamic tabs acp.ana

Ability to change node titles and colors

New to ACP 3:

Use scripting or the function EvaluateScript to change the title or color of a node.

You can use this model as an example: ACP UpdateTitles

• Play this model in ACP 3

Change Title

New to ACP 3:

• Enter the model Update titles and evaluate "Triggering Node" or click the Button node.

Note that the title of the checkbox input node and the variable node with titles 'zero' changes to 'one'.

If you uncheck the checkbox for the input node "make title one"...

...Clicking the button or evaluating "triggering node" changes the titles back to 'zero'.

Change Color

New to ACP 3:

• Navigate to the module 'Change node color'.
• Press the Calc button/Output node for the node indicated.

Note the color change of the node. The script is in the definition of the node 'Evaluate this node'.

Altering navigation tabs' color

New to ACP3.0.0.8: When using Top Tabs or Tabs down left, with the tab color flag set to Tab_color: Node. Controlling ACP Tab colors. If a script or onclick event changes a module's node color, the module's Tab color will change accordingly. Can be used for instance when creating a wizard.

Group Account UI

New to releae ACP 3.0.0.23: For group accounts, shows the expiration date on the models listing page.

Project list

New to release ACP 3.0.0.42 If a project has been manually deleted from the windows file system on the server, it no longer shows in the Projects pulldown menu. Mostly applicable to ACP servers. New to release ACP 3.0.0.42 With a large number of projects, typing the first letter of the project name will cause the project listing to jump to projects starting with that letter.

Model list

New to release ACP 3.0.0.42 Added a column 'File size' to the Model list. Removed the columns for 'Author', 'Saved by' and 'Access'.

New to release ACP 3.0.0.42 You can sort the model list either by forward or reverse order by clicking on the column header of the Model name or Save date column.

Users tab

Only members of the project selected in the project combo display by default, In alphabetical order.

Admin users

• Admin users can see all projects, even those for which they are not explicitly a member.
• For Admin users, the project list puts those projects for which the user is an explicit member first, and then the rest for which they can access (because they are an Admin) but which they are not an explicit member of.
• For admin users, search functionality in the Users tab. Along with the option to display all users or only the users who are members of the project.

Removed 'Public/Private' Feature

New to release ACP3.0.0.42 'Public/Private' access to models and spreadsheets has been removed.

Miscellaneous

Table / Graph toggle

New to release ACP3.0.0.15:

Result tables and graph views in a Frame node show a table or graph button to toggle between table and graph nodes, similar to Desktop Analytica. This button doesn't appear in:

• Edit tables.
• Table over Graph or Graph over Table views (which anyway show both).
• A table with only one cell (that can't be graphed anyway).

If you want your user to be able to see only the designated view, you can this turn feature off: Show_table_graph_toggle:no

Suppress formnode icons.

New to release ACP3.0.0.3:

Added support for suppressing the output formnode icons. ACP will display these the same way they are set in Desktop Analytica, via the nodeinfo attribute. more on the nodeinfo attribute

Html links in Text nodes

As of release ACP3.0.0.6., html links in text boxes are now the same as in Desktop Analytica.

OpenUrl() sysfunction

As of ACP 3.0.0.6, ACP Supports the new OpenURL(() system function for Buttons and Picture nodes.

Multitable()

In Testing: Multitables will display in ACP but some of the functionality has not been implemented.

Support showing message boxes when loading diagrams

New to ACP3.0.0.10: ACP, like Desktop Analytica, now supports message boxes which display when a diagram loads. Example: Media:DiagramOpenMsgBox.ana

Support for callbacks fired while retrieving an edit table

New to ACP3.0.0.10: ACP, like Desktop Analytica, now supports called when viewing an edit table

Module descriptions show Balloon help

New to ACP 3.0.0.28: In tabbed navigation - Tabs across the top or Tabs down left, Modules with a description will display the description in a balloon upon mousing over the tab.

More

Some Miscellaneous enhancements that are new to ACP 3:

• New to ACP 3.0.0.33:All types of table form node buttons now say simply "Table", same as DTA 5.0
• New to ACP 3.0.0.30:Added a progress bar when waiting for a model to load from the model listing.
• New to ACP 3.0.0.30:In a group account, the dropdown menu for Projects now shows 20 items before adding a scroll bar. Previously it showed 5.
• New to ACP 3.0.0.30:When you log into ACP it now displays the user logged in - “Logged in as <user name>” - below the Sign out link on the upper right.
• For large diagrams, Scroll bars have been added when necessary {I.e. the diagram is larger than the canvas}.
• The uncertainty view popup menu has been removed from the result window for Variables whose result was selected as 'mid' view in DTA, {or in ACP if saved as a snapshot}.
• New to ACP 3.0.0.18: Support has been added for Multiline column and row headers.
• New to ACP 3.0.0.25; A Save date column was added to the model listing.
• New to ACP 3.0.0.28; Improved the appearance of models with many top tabs by truncating the titles when necessary, so that all tabs fit on the diagram.
• New to ACP 3.0.0.30';The animation when a model is loading from the model listing now shows a progress bar.
• New to ACP 3.0.0.30';The help balloon positioning has been tweaked so that the top line is aligned vertically with the top line of node — except if that would make the balloon off the bottom of the diagram, in which case its bottom is aligned with the node bottom line.
• New to ACP 3.0.0.35';Form Node button labels for Edit tables have been shortened to just "Table"
• New to ACP 3.0.0.35'; Hidden nodes are not displayed on diagram in ACP (for models created in Analytica 5.0 or later)

See Also

• Analytica Cloud Player
• media:ACP style library.ana
• Future ACP Features
• Whats new in ACP: Recent additions and improvements to ACP